Critter cutters

I love animals. The older I get (and the years are accumulating impressively), the more I love animals. The beautiful red fox I watched traverse a snowy field this winter is happily fixed in my mind as a magnificent gift-- his or her lovely, bushy tail flowing along behind. The birds back this spring are all warmly welcomed, as are the rabbits and other creatures who never left. Although for reasons unknown rabbits are seldom seen right here in Lost Hollow, I often notice them by the cabin on the way out to the road. I am most likely to see the foxes around there too, as well as red-tailed hawks. That combination may not tell the story I would like, but such are the realities of nature.

Somehow a small catalog from a place called Fancy Flours arrived in my mailbox. Most catalogs get recycled upon arrival, but I am a baker and this one caught my eye. It has everything for decorating cakes and making candy, despite those being activities in which I do not engage beyond their simplest home-based forms. However, the little catalog also has molds and cutters to which I do relate

(squirrels, acorns, bunnies, foxes, owls). When I send an order in, I am sure some worker never guesses how I use their products—that is, for clay play. As much as I love animals, I am no artist. While drawing a fox in clay could result in massive misinterpretation, my cutters give them clarity and sometimes even personality. The same with the owls--the cutters turn them from birds of prey to cute.
 


I listened to owls in our woods all winter, and welcomed the return of the whip-poor-wills for some evening variation. The latter are creatures of mystery, indeed, not even having nests but laying their eggs on the ground and somehow migrating clear to Mexico or Central America while hardly ever being sighted. I grew up hearing them in New York, but I never saw one until my 69^th year when a whip-poor-will perched on the wall behind our house and sang and sang his or her distinctive mantra. Truly masters of camouflage, you will never see a whip-poor-will on my pots for it would be much too difficult to depict or discern. But those wonderfully visible foxes,  owls, rabbits, and many other creatures of the forest? Look for those and you will find!

Simple Pleasures

This is the time of year to notice and appreciate the simple things that can get lost in the glitz and glitter. What are your simple pleasures? I have too many to list but I cherish the time to think about them-- to put aside the busyness and dwell with the moment. There are the birds that stay around and accompany us through the winter, the impressions that pine needles and cedar twigs make on the clay, and the clever and thoughtful homemade gifts that people give each other this time of year-- not the big fancy gifts but the creative ones. There is the warmth of the wood stove and the pleasure the cats cozying up to it. There are the dog’s circles of sheer joy in the snow. There is the music so special to the holidays, and those memories from the past. I love small gatherings, the catching up, the quiet times, the lights and goodies, and chances to learn something new. I love the opportunity to reach out to someone I can assist in some way, and the time to hope all over again for peace.  I wish you the warmest season’s greetings, wherever you are. May you have safe travels and quiet moments. And may your pleasures be simple and profound.